kittysacattack
New Member
I am running mcaffee for antivirus. What is the best anti-spyware. I currently use windows defender for it, but is ad-aware or spybot better? Also is it overkill to use spybot and ad-aware. Thanks for your suggestions.
Someone reccomond protection combo
- Thread starter kittysacattack
- Start date
WD is worthless! Spybot S&D is sadly outdated while having been one of the better tools at one time as well as Ad-Aware. McAfee? 
That's a horror story in it's self!
For retail Kaspersky abd Trend Micro as well as Grisoft's AVG Professional edition(retail) are about the top names while AVG also offers a free antivirus program as well as WIN AntiVIR and a few others. AVG also now sees a free version for Linux as well as Windows and a spyware remover and IE protection option at http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5#avg-anti-spyware-free
Spyware Terminator was given a good workout lately when intentionally allowing a bug infested Smiley Central toolbar to go on while the ST program's active protection was prompting to allow or deny on every change that was trying to make. Later it removed some 338 items including a backdoor trojan. http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Ad-Aware 2007 also includes and Ad Watch that will sit idle until buying the full retail version while still catching what ST misses(not much but browser hijackers or a few data miners) while the ST program finds far more then Ad-Aware as usual and sees automatic updates for the totally free program. Ad-Aware being found at http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
That's a horror story in it's self!For retail Kaspersky abd Trend Micro as well as Grisoft's AVG Professional edition(retail) are about the top names while AVG also offers a free antivirus program as well as WIN AntiVIR and a few others. AVG also now sees a free version for Linux as well as Windows and a spyware remover and IE protection option at http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5#avg-anti-spyware-free
Spyware Terminator was given a good workout lately when intentionally allowing a bug infested Smiley Central toolbar to go on while the ST program's active protection was prompting to allow or deny on every change that was trying to make. Later it removed some 338 items including a backdoor trojan. http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Ad-Aware 2007 also includes and Ad Watch that will sit idle until buying the full retail version while still catching what ST misses(not much but browser hijackers or a few data miners) while the ST program finds far more then Ad-Aware as usual and sees automatic updates for the totally free program. Ad-Aware being found at http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
kittysacattack
New Member
what is so bad about mcaffee. Also, i am using avast on my other compter, how well does that work.
I ran Symantec System Works along with Norton at one point and tossed that after first trying McAfee. AVG then stood out like a sore thumb for being a far better program when that was given it's first try. Even while having it totally disabled in the startup and services tabs in the msconfig utilty I've seen the free version jump to life out of nowhere upon reaching some unknown site and seeing a trojan instantly copied to the drive.
AVG indicated right where it was with the popup alert for manual removal. Even with it disabled it still offered a form of active protection. Try disabling McAfee or Norton to see what happens.
AVG indicated right where it was with the popup alert for manual removal. Even with it disabled it still offered a form of active protection. Try disabling McAfee or Norton to see what happens.
nobbly niblets
New Member
I use Avast! and have done for years on my XP machine and have continued to do so with my Vista one also. In saying that though to be honest the only other dealing I have had with AV software was with Norton... but I've never looked back.
An anti-spyware program I use and am continually impressed with is SUPERAntispyware. I have seen it succeed where others well known ones have fallen down.
I run the occasional online scan, a bit for curiosity and alot for reconfirmation and haven't been let down yet.
I'm sure the generous free software developers will continue to impress in the future.
An anti-spyware program I use and am continually impressed with is SUPERAntispyware. I have seen it succeed where others well known ones have fallen down.
I run the occasional online scan, a bit for curiosity and alot for reconfirmation and haven't been let down yet.
I'm sure the generous free software developers will continue to impress in the future.
Lately I put Spyware Terminator to the test and that passed with flying colors when intentionally allowing an adware toolbar to install that slipped in a backdoor trojan along with it. ST found some 338 items and removed them. I had to click the allow button to even see half of those even get on. The latest build is now available. http://www.spywareterminator.com/
hermeslyre
VIP Member
I run Avira antivir for AV, and Spyware Terminator and SUPERantispyware in tandem for my anti-spyware needs. Spyware terminator is the only free AS variant that offer a form of resident protection and HIPS.. and SUPER is the best in detection rates. Makes for great protection.
Spybot S&D was a good tool in it's day. You can easily run ST with others especially Ad-Aware 2007 being run with ST on both XP and Vista alike here. One likes to catch what the other misses!
The ST freeware will generally find more data miners then Ad-Aware right off. Yet Ad-Aware goes after browser hijackers while ST puts up an active protection similar to a firewall. It will even prompt at times asking if you to allow or deny when going to remove a program.
The best advice always however is still being familiar with several and never counting on any one program alone. That goes for antivirus programs as well as adware and spyware removers. That's one reason why you see a large number of retail programs for various things like IE protection, malware removal, adaware/spyware removers.
One other thing to note here is Grisoft's antirootkit utility found on the same page as the free version of AVG. Comodo's BOClean is another free tool to have onhand as well. http://www.nsclean.com/trolist.html
The ST freeware will generally find more data miners then Ad-Aware right off. Yet Ad-Aware goes after browser hijackers while ST puts up an active protection similar to a firewall. It will even prompt at times asking if you to allow or deny when going to remove a program.
The best advice always however is still being familiar with several and never counting on any one program alone. That goes for antivirus programs as well as adware and spyware removers. That's one reason why you see a large number of retail programs for various things like IE protection, malware removal, adaware/spyware removers.
One other thing to note here is Grisoft's antirootkit utility found on the same page as the free version of AVG. Comodo's BOClean is another free tool to have onhand as well. http://www.nsclean.com/trolist.html
With AVG 7.5 free, Ad-Aware 2007, and Spyware Terminator as the only ones run at the present time I see the typical data miner crud either Ad-Aware or ST typically find anyways but rarely anything else.
When a spam mail was spotted for Smiley Central/Websearch crap that was an opportunity there to further test just one program's effectiveness besides the allow/deny prompting which doesn't always tell you much. Even with the best retail programs something can get by at times. This is why special removers are another thing to look for at times.
When a spam mail was spotted for Smiley Central/Websearch crap that was an opportunity there to further test just one program's effectiveness besides the allow/deny prompting which doesn't always tell you much. Even with the best retail programs something can get by at times. This is why special removers are another thing to look for at times.